Girl in white
by Glades of Grey
Summary: Another one of the Weasley twin's experiments gone horribly wrong. After a purple canister explodes, Hedwig is no longer a snowy owl, but a human girl. JKR owns it all.
1. Chapter 1

JKR owns it all.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat sprawled across the messy floor. Snow fell thickly outside the Burrow as Celestia Warbeck's Christmas carols floating through the closed door. Harry could have sworn the Ghoul above Ron's room was grunting along with the cheery rhythms.

Hermione, who had been contently reading by the door, gave the lounging red-head a sudden a repulsed glare of disgust.

"Ron, what is this?" Hermione picked up a suspicious looking lump with the tip of her wand.

He shrugged indifferently, returning to his Quidditch magazine. "No idea, honestly I don't want to know."

"You really should think about cleaning this room, it's a wonder you manage to live in here... Merlin only knows what lurks underneath the bed." She crinkled her nose, kicking a box of half eaten chocolate frogs.

"Why even bother? Mum's been on my case about it, I keep telling her it's just you guys, not like the prime minister." He shook his head at the mere idea of even straightening up the squalor.

"Ronald Weasley, you honestly need to think of your hygiene here! There is no way you can maintain a healthy immune system living in this." She pointed to the fine cover of forest green creeping its way up a package of sugar quills.

Rolling his eyes, Ron looked at Harry and snorted.

"Hermione, I only have a few more months left then I can clean all of this with magic. What's the point of manually doing things when you have a wand? If it bugs you so much, why don't you clean it yourself?"

She stared at him, pulling a hair tie from her wrist. "You Ronald Weasley are a lazy slob. But, for the sake of the rest of us, I shall." With that Hermione Granger tackled the appalling mess.

Ron shot a disbelieving glance in Harry's direction.

"Wow Hermione, what would I do without you?" A light blush crept over her face, but she continued on her way, shrilly-questioning Ron on the expiration date on those pasties, and the cleanliness on some soiled robes.

"Seriously mate, the Kreacher lives in cleaner conditions." Ron smiled, evidently still quite pleased with himself.

Harry stood, stretching as his snowy white owl pecked lightly at the frosted window. Having apparently scrounged for enough food, she hopped neatly into the room, hooting happily.

Hedwig remained on the open windowsill, allowing the winter chill to circulate through the stagnant air.

Hermione resurfaced, clutching a deep purple cylinder.

"Ron, wha-"

But Hermione never got the chance to finish her inquiry, for the device in her hands exploded, grey smoke billowing, jets of light flying.

"Hermione!" They both yelled. Diving on the floor for cover the pair anxiously waiting for the fog to clear. When it did, much to her friends' intense relief, a rather pale Hermione emerged. Her hair was, if possible much more bushy but no visible bleeding or bruises could be seen.

Wrapping her in a quick hug Ron examined the smoking can.

"A product of Fred and George's no doubt, I need to have a word with them on leaving their products lying around..."

"Hermione, are you hurt at all?" Harry asked, intently looking over her arms for cuts and burns.

She shook her head, eyes wide she calmly pointed to the windowsill.

"Harry, what exactly happened to Hedwig?"

"Bloody Hell."

"Hedwig?"

Hedwig the owl was nowhere in sight, for a crumpled figure of a girl had replaced her.

A/N Should I continue? Good, Bad? Were any of the characters OOC? If so, feel free to tell me! Yes if any of you guessed I do have a sad obsession with Harry Potter's owl. :P

Thanks for reading

~Julie


	2. Chapter 2

JKR owns it all

The door behind them creaked open, momentarily allowing the muffled yelling to crescendo.

Ginny emerged, flopping next to Harry she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't go down there."

Hermione grimaced "Your Mum's furious I'm sure."

"Beyond furious. I've only seen her that upset when Fred and George glued Ron's-"

Ron cleared his throat, his face reddening.

"We really don't need to re-live that one do we?"

Ginny shrugged, and turned to Hedwig's form.

"Is she okay? She looks a little..."

Hermione nodded sadly "Shell shocked."

Hedwig was still; propped up on Ginny's pillows she stared blankly at the Weird Sisters plastered upon the wall. Her wispy light hair was pulled back from her pale face, not a word escaped her lips. She appeared almost transparent, fragile, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

At least she had improved form her original unconscious state. The absence of Ron's filth seemingly helped her health.

They had sat with her for what seemed like days, Mrs. Weasley angrily bustling through, waving her wand violently this way and that. It didn't help her venomous mood that George and Fred paid a surprise visit to the Burrow.

Harry knelt beside his former owl, "Hedwig, its Harry. Come on girl, want some food?" He gestured to the owl treats. Hedwig turned her orb like eyes to Harry, shuddered and opened her mouth.

Her jaw hung loosely, slowly moving it up and down as she tried to grasp the mechanics of speaking.

Hedwig struggled slightly, and emitted something between a hoot and a gurgle.

The group nodded encouragingly, but Hedwig closed her mouth. Harry smiled at his old bird, handing her an owl treat.

She stared at the food sitting forlornly in Harry's moist palm. After a minute, she quickly pecked down on his hand, her teeth clumsily trying to grasp the item.

Falling back in defeat, Hedwig closed her eyes, a mournful sigh escaping her thin lips.

Hermione looked close to tears, Ginny grasped Harry's hand and Ron stood to go.

"Come on Harry, she needs to sleep."

With one last look at his Hedwig, Harry left Ginny's room, shutting the door behind him.

Hermione sniffed, dabbing at her eyes quickly.

"P-poor Hedwig, c-can't even e-eat. I should h-have never picked up that tube."

"That wasn't your fault, if anything its Fred and George's. Those prats." Ginny glared at Ron.

"What? I didn't do anything!" He held up his hands.

"If you thought about cleaning your room for once, this would have never happened." Ginny snapped.

Turning back to Hermione she continued soothingly. "She's a smart bird Hermione, Hedwig will be alright." She assured, glancing at Harry.

"She'll be fine" Harry echoed, reassuring himself more than Hermione.

Would she?

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A pretty short follow up, sorry it took so long; I had two other versions going on.

I'll try to update once a week, if not sooner. Thanks to all who have stuck with the story so far. Also, thanks to all the wonderful reviewers, BaltaineShadow, bharned1, littlemiss-imperfect, Dragonladysally, bella~tricks, RebeccaRoy, you know who, Ranger Dragen, Harpy Prince, and desperate. for. love. You all are great!

~Julie


	3. Chapter 3

Harry flicked a bit of tinsel from Ginny's hair, smiling as she threw it in his face. Apart from the fiery glares Mrs. Weasly shot at Fred and George, the Christmas cheer resumed to full force. The smell of cooking turkey wafted through the warm air, as Hedwig wobbled through the room, giving the appearance of a toddler walking its first steps.

She smiled serenely, her arms occasionally flapping in the air, attempting to completely master her cumbersome limbs. She gave a faint resemblance to the Burrow's eccentric neighbor Luna Lovegood.

"Where'd Hermione and Ron run off to?" He asked, stuffing a perfectly glazed bun into his mouth.

Slapping him playfully on the shoulder, Ginny shook her head. "Honestly Harry, maybe if you were more observant…Well, their outside…"

"Doing what exactly?"

"You are quite thick sometimes." Yet, she smiled planting a chaste kiss on his cheek.

The pair turned to Hedwig. Watching as she quickly brought her head down on a treacle tart, they chuckled. Harry's bird had proved to be an interesting asset to the Weasly clan.

"If I see one more experiment, lying around this house, I will go down to that joke shop and close it down myself! Don't you give me that face George Weasley, if touch so much as a hair upon her head …" Mrs. Weasley screetched.

"Yes mum, we're sorry." The two hung their heads low, sharing a smile.

Molly didn't seem to notice; she huffed back into the kitchen, taking her wrath out on the poor raw turkey.

Hedwig looked up, her brown eyes wide as smiled lightly at Harry. Her mouth opened as if she was to say something. Fred and George had other plans.

Seizing the absence of their mother, the twins swiftly fell next to Hedwig, eagerly watching her every move.

Harry sat up, nervously watching them. If they did something else to her….

George spoke first, " So, Hedwig, have you been liking human life?"

Hedwig smiled, nodding slightly.

"Do you have any mutations we should know about, sharp pains, dizziness, nausea?"

Hedwig cocked her head; her fingers extended and put her hand on George's hair.

He shifted uncomfortably, nervously eyeing her pale figure.

Fred scribbled something down a scrap of napkin.

Hedwig kept her round eyes on George, her hand lightly touching his vibrant hair.

"G-George" She said quietly. Her scratchy voice drawing the attention of all spectators.

"George! What did I tell you about-"?

"Mum she was touching my hair, I didn't even go near her!"

Hedwig shied away, turning to the company of owls perched upon the sill.

"Fred and George Weasley get into the kitchen NOW!" Molly brandished a rolling pin dangerously.

Ignoring their mother, they both slumped down on the rug next to Harry, and shook their heads knowingly.

"Sorry about your bird Harry. "

"Mum's practically gone mental, we've told her it will fade in a two days, not like it's permanent. "

"Yet look at her, " Fred grimaced " Becoming attached to the creature of question."

If anything, their furious mother was only more incensed.

The twins groaned.

Harry took another bite from his sticky bun. In truth, Mrs. Weasley had become attached to Hedwig. They all had.

She provided a laugh in these dark times, something they used to keep their minds off of the looming threat Lord Voldemort created.

Now that she had begun to speak it made her all the more interesting. Not to mention her apparent fascination with George.

Things could only become more interesting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry started awake, his chest heaving, sweat rolling down his temple. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Harry pulled off the covers. The cold hit him like a wall.

Staring at the empty owl cage he couldn't help but feel a little bit lonely. Ron's snores ripped through the silence.

Just one peek; make sure she is still here, talk to her, see her...

Muttering to himself, Harry padded across the icy floor.

Just to make sure Hedwig really was still here, still safe inside the Burrow, maybe they could... Opening, Hermione and Ginny's door, he gave a quick scan.

No owl. No Hedwig in the dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, living room.

Running now, Harry pushed open the Weasley's front door, clenching his teeth as the snow stabbed his exposed feet.

She wasn't there…

"Harry!" Her scratchy voice called. His head snapped up, his momentary relief replaced with horror.

"Hedwig, what are you doing up th-"

Her orb eyes shown in the night, as she whispered.

"I will fly."

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Sorry I didn't update, there is really no excuse, I am a procrastinator at heart. Thank you for reading; I'll make the next chapter longer!

What's to come, any ideas? Any CC?

How can I not thank all reviewers? Thank you so very very much for sticking with the story, your comments make my day!

~Julie


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